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<p>SCRANTON &#8212; Tom May, Greg Barnett, Eric Keen and Joe Godino moved to Philadelphia from Scranton eight years ago to give their band, <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/archive/391766/news-wk_music-1456839-all-access-with-the-menzingers" target="_blank">The Menzingers</a>, a chance to play with nationally touring acts.</p><p>May, who plays guitar and sings in the band, said they&#8217;re always drawn back to the Electric City; not only to visit family, but to revisit the background on which their adolescent years played out. <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/archive/393662/news-wk_cover-1415346-the-menzingers-on-the-possible-future" target="_blank">The Menzingers </a>joined forces with other Scranton-based acts while they were home for the holidays five years ago to host a holiday show. The bands donated the door money to the arts scene in Northeastern Pennsylvania and started a tradition that&#8217;ll continue with their fifth NEPA Holiday Show Dec. 19 at Scranton Cultural Center.</p><p>&#8220;The first one we did was kind of a big party more than anything else,&#8221; May said. &#8220;We thought we&#8217;d have a really fun show and give away the door money because we were just trying to have a good time anyway, so we got into the spirit of the holidays and gave back to the world we came from.&#8221;</p><p>May and his bandmates first found their place in that world as members of the Scranton punk/ska scene. After they came together as The Menzingers, and posted their first demo to an online message board, New York punk label Go-Kart Records took notice. Go-Kart put the band in a studio to record their debut full-length, &#8220;A Lesson in the Abuse of Information Technology,&#8221; and after a brief tenure on Chicago&#8217;s Red Scare Industries, The Menzingers found a home on Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz&#8217;s Epitaph Records.</p><p>They&#8217;ve played venues around the world, but somehow The Menzingers have avoided playing one of the oldest venues in their hometown.</p><p>&#8220;This is the first time we&#8217;ve had holiday show at the Cultural Center and our first time playing the venue period,&#8221; May said. &#8220;They&#8217;ve been an amazing partner this year in facilitating the show. They&#8217;ve really gone above and beyond in donating facilities and personnel.&#8221;</p><p>The money raised from the past four NEPA Holiday Show events was donated to Arts Alive, a summer arts and music camp for students entering grades 2 through 12. The Menzingers will donate to the organization again this year.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s where a lot of our friends and some of us first learned about the arts and were able to create a portfolio,&#8221; May said. &#8220;They got the extra attention and push to not just goof off all summer and work forward in the arts to really create that cultural vibe in Scranton.&#8221;</p><p>May saw the list articles online that name the Scranton area as one of the worst places to live in America, but he doesn&#8217;t buy it. He has seen towns all over America while touring with The Menzingers and still referred to Scranton as a &#8220;unique area with wonderful character and rich cultural history.&#8221; The fifth NEPA Holiday Show will bring a lineup of nationally touring acts to the area that May hopes will draw fans to downtown Scranton while raising money for local youth arts and music programs.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">The Menzingers return to their hometown Dec. 19 to headline Scranton&#8217;s 5th NEPA Holiday Show. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_TheMenzingers_MegaImage_gmum2Mx1-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>The Menzingers return to their hometown Dec. 19 to headline Scranton&#8217;s 5th NEPA Holiday Show. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Local acts raise money for youth arts and music programs in Northeastern Pennsylvania</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Gene Axton</p><p>gaxton@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p>IF YOU GO</p><p>Who: The Menzingers, Tigers Jaw, Captain We&#8217;re Sinking, The Sw!ms, Three Man Cannon and Petal</p><p>What: The NEPA Holiday show, benefiting youth arts and music programs in Northeastern Pennsylvania</p><p>When: Saturday, Dec. 19 at 5 p.m.</p><p>Where: Scranton Cultural Center, 420 N Washington Ave, Scranton</p><p>How Much: $20 in advance, $25 at the door</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Gene Axton at 570-991-6121 or on Twitter @TLArts</p></shirttailMeta></div>

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The Menzingers headline 5th NEPA Holiday Show Dec. 19 at Scranton Cultural Center; Tigers Jaw, Petal, Captain We’re Sinking, Three Man Cannon and The Sw!ms also performing